Sule Bates, the success behind NAHCO

By Shola Adekola

Sule BatesTalking about successful aviation handling companies across the globe, particularly in Nigeria , the Nigeria Aviation Handling Company [NAHCO] has become a household name which has contributed greatly to the transformation of the nation's aviation industry.

While the handling company which presently handles close to 85 per cent of the airlines operating in the country has had its ups and downs, it is no longer news that the story of the handling company has changed for better as witnessed in the performance of the company particularly at the Nigerian Stock Exchange in the recent past.

Presently,the company is greatly dominating the industry in the handling profession. The acceptability of the company is not only in the aviation sector but outside the sector, so much so that it became obvious in its recent oversubscription by shareholders on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange which is a far departure from its controversial position seven years ago when the federal government through the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) owned 60 per cent shares in the company.

The greatest crisis that faced the company was during the regime of President Olusegun Obasanjo when the company though already a private enterprise was again slated for privatization by the Bureau of Public Enterprises[BPE].

The situation which dragged on for some months was vehemently resisted by the workers led by their unions. Within the period the struggle lasted,the fortunes of the company was greatly affected as its operations was almost disrupted. However,the dwindled fortunes turned around when the workers succeeded in frustrating government’s bid to privatise the company. This reached its climax between 2005 till date.

The man at the centre of this success story is the company's current managing director,Bates Sarki Sule who took over the mantle of leadership at the handling company about three years ago.

Mr. Bates Sule whose years of experience in the aviation industry spanned through 1980 to date joined the defunct Nigerian Airports Authority (NAA) now Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) in 1980.

Described as an experienced Aviation Administrator, Bates has held several top management positions, including being Airport Manager at Sokoto and Maiduguri International Airports. He was also Head of Operations, Murtala Muhammed International Airport , Lagos , Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport , Abuja and Maiduguri International Airport .

Before assuming his present position as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company PLC in 2005, Sule was the Manager in charge of the Hajj/Cargo Terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos between 2003 and 2005.

Sule who has been described by some aviation watchers including his workers as a brilliant fellow attended Ahmadu Bello University , Zaria where he obtained a B.Sc. (Hons) Degree in Chemistry/Biochemistry in 1978. He also obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Management and an MBA from Usman Dan Fodio University , Sokoto in 1995 and 1998 respectively.

He has also attended various courses in aviation related matters including Airport Strategic Management in Singapore (2004) , Aviation Security, Atlanta , ( 2001) USA ; Airport Management, Montreal , Canada (1994).

Speaking on his major challenges as the chief executive of the company,Sule cited lack of adequate equipment and infrastructure, dearth of skilled manpower, capital intensive nature of operations, inconsistent government policies and safety issues

Commenting on how he has been able to turn around the fortunes of the company,Sule stated:"I assumed duties in NAHCO in 2005 at a point when the company was just transiting from a partially owned government organization to a publicly quoted company owned by about 19,000 Nigerians in addition to the four foreign airlines that had always owned 40 per cent of the shares.

“The change in status of course meant a demand for a new way of doing things, a raised expectation from the new owners in terms of return, and a mixed reaction from staff from point of view of their job security and expectation of better working conditions. But the structure on ground was not exactly suitable for PLC operations. Staff morale was low. Equipment was old and obsolete.

“We had to tackle the challenges by first drawing up a strategic three year business plan with the object of refocusing and re-engineering our operations in order to maintain market leadership, increase stakeholder appreciation and also make fresh inroad into new markets. We commenced a holistic review of operations using two world class consulting firms PricewaterhouseCoopers to look at people issues in terms of manpower skills, placement and adequacy, and Astral Aviation to assess our technical operations.

We also started a conscious equipment overhaul and replacement programme which has so far cost about $6million in the purchase of various types of brand new aviation ground handling equipment."

Sule attributed the result oriented strategy to his recognition that without the work force, nothing much can be achieved ." We therefore set out to ensure that workers were fully motivated to do the work. Staff re-alignment was carried out where necessary, staff training and retraining became our priority and professional hands were brought in to fill in key positions to ensure that NAHCO met the standards of a fully privatized company."

One of his major achievements is his ability to consolidate Market Leadership for the company. NAHCO is today a market leader in Nigeria providing airport ground handling services to about 35 domestic and international airlines operating in the country. Under Sule also,the company had embarked on market expansion campaign which has in the last year increased the company’s customer base leading to the opening of its new stations in Calabar, MMA2, Enugu and Jos while plans are also on to move into the West African sub-region.

NAHCO under Sule has implemented a robust Information Communication Technology[ICT] project that cuts across its passenger handling and cargo services. Equally,the Integrated Multi User System (IMUSE) of Departure Control that was installed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport has enhanced airlines’ operations and improved turnaround time for passenger facilitation. Similarly, the Hermes Computerisation Scheme has ensured full automation of NAHCO’s cargo import and export handling operations, while minimising human interventions.